Guide
The Diyarbakır King's Road (Kral Yolu) is a 351 km set of walking routes across the province, with six featured sections that string together historic sites, open landscapes and village life. The routes are published by the Karacadağ Development Agency.
One section climbs to the volcanic cone of Karacadağ (Baruttepe), passing lava caves, rock formations, herds of camels and the villages of Şimşek and Karaçevre. Another takes in the Çemereş waterfall and its campsites, the Şerafettin rock caves and Zerzevan Castle with its temple of Mithras. A third visits the summer palace of Güzel Şeyh, the Çınar mosque, the rock tombs of Filiz Ören and Karabudak villages, the Dilaver bridge and the three-arched Üç Gözlü bridge, and Zerzevan Castle once more.
The city section covers the old town inside and outside the walls and the Hevsel Gardens, with stops at the Diyarbakır Museum, the Great Mosque (Ulu Cami), the Mor Kaldeni Catholic church, the Armenian church of Surp Gregor, the Syriac church of Meryem Ana and the Hz. Süleyman Mosque. Another section follows the Tigris past the Tılham picnic area, the walls of the han at Hantepe and Tanışık village, with grassy islets in the river, water plants, otters and migrating birds. Around Eğil the route reaches the harbour, Assyrian fortresses, shrines linked to prophets, rock-cut caves and Amini Castle, which looks over the Tigris on three sides.
Walkers are responsible for their own safety. The route and map information was prepared at a particular date and can be overtaken by road closures, changes on the ground or private property boundaries, so check conditions locally before setting out.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Diyarbakır as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 1.8 °C in January to 31 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May and October; rainfall is heaviest in December (70 mm) and lightest in August (1 mm). Long-term means for 1929-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
